back next MILAN, ITALY PHOTOS. PURCHASE GREAT MEMORIES OF YOUR VISIT TO MILAN, ITALY- FOR HOME OR OFFICE! Milan is Italy's second largest city in the Lombardy region. Although artistically Milan can not compete with Rome, Milan has unique sights in the Duomo, La Scala Opera House, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade, Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, and Monumental Cemetery. These are featured in this gallery. Duomo The cathedral's Pink white marble exterior features a pentagon structure, 6 vertical buttresses, and numerous sculptures, spires and other works of art. It is the largest church in Italy,and third largest in the world. Construction began 1368 and was completed six centuries later. It is 330 feet tall and capped by a La Madonnina that is 15 ft. tall. The Duomo has the fourth longest nave in Christiandom with 52 tree sized pillars supporting the ceiling. La Scala Opera House The Teatro alla Scala was founded, under the auspices of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, to replace the Royal Ducal Theatre, which was destroyed by fire on 26 February 1776 and had until then been the home of opera in Milan. The cost of building the new theatre was borne by the owners of the boxes at the Ducal, in exchange for possession of the land on which stood the church of Santa Maria alla Scala (hence the name) and for renewed ownership of their boxes. Designed by the great neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini, La Scala opened on 3 August 1778 with Antonio Salieri's opera L'Europa riconosciuta, to a libretto by Mattia Verazi. The opera hall, royal box and museum are featured in this gallery. Giuseppe Verdi's hair and picture are presented. Some Verdi history: In 1839 Oberto Conte di San Bonifacio inaugurated the cycle of operas by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), the composer whose name is linked more than any other to the history of La Scala. After the dismal failure of Un giorno di regno, Nabucco was performed in 1842. It was the first, decisive triumph of Verdi's career. At the same time, the strong patriotic feelings stirred by Nabucco founded the "popularity" of opera seria and identified its image with the Scala. Photo of Toscanini and soprano Renata Tebaldi are presented. Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) became the artistic director and introduced radical reform into the theatre, both in its organisational aspects and in its relations with the public. Toscanini, one of the greatest conductors of all time, took up Verdi's musical inheritance and launched a tradition of interpretation that continued uninterruptedly and was renewed during the twentieth century. It was he who reappraised and regularly performed at the Scala the works of Richard Wagner (hitherto only belatedly and inadequately recognised). He also firmly extended the Scala's orchestral repertoire to include symphonic music. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade Equestrian statue of the first king of a united Italy Viktor Emmanuel II on main Milan square, Piazza del Duomo is located outside the Galleria which opened in 1877. The galleria features a four story arcade covered by an iron and glass dome. There are two keys to the Galleria's century-and-a-half long success. First, its shops sell what the Milanese and the world wants, be it the finest leather goods, the most rakish Borsalinos, the loveliest and most aromatic cigars. The shops here always have done that, and we should all salute the fact that this commercial excellence – the excellence of old-fashioned, analogue, made-by-hand things – just plain will not stop. The second gift the mall gives Milan (and the world) is arguably the greater one. The Galleria was conceived at the Eiffel-Tower, Industrial-Age height of pre-urban-sprawl, in other words, as soaring public projects were possible before the automobile began to kill city centers. The Galleria could establish itself before the car had a chance to kill it. The automobile, of course, would become a central tenet of Turin's, and Milan's industrial design economy – it's no accident that the three seals of Florence, Turin and Rome are embedded in the tiles of the Galleria. The interior is a work of art. Murals near the ceiling highlight 4 major continents and the floor featues tile work worthy of an art gallery. Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper The Last Supper fresco is located in the located in dining hall of adjoining monastery of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Leonardo DaVinci painted it 1492-1498 and used a technique suitable for wood, not plaster which comprised the wall. As a result, deterioration began six years after the work was completed. In 1799, the convent was taken over by the French and Napolean's troops used it as a stable. In 1934, the Cenacle was turned over to state and the convent to the Dominican Fathers. It survived WW2 bombing in 1943 which just missed destroying the work. In 1978, a 21 year restoration project started which was completed in 1999. Flash photography is not allowed when viewing the work. Close inspection shows the loss of color and sharpness in the original work. In 1980, the sight became a UNESCO world heritage location. Monumental Cemetery The cemetery was created in 1866 and features some historical figures that are buried there including Alessandro Manzoni and Arturo Toscanini. The Israelite section features Milan Jews and includes several memorials to those that perished in the Holocaust. Other images feature Castello Sforzesco - 1368, canolli and newly weds. A sight not seen often is the House of Omenons-1562. House of Omenons-1562 Palazzo degli Omenoni is a building between Piazza Belgioioso and Piazza San Fedele, not far from La Scala. This characteristic house was planned by sculptor Leone Leoni as his city home, and it was built between 1562 and 1566. Its name (omenoni, or "large men") describes the eight large male caryatids created by medallion sculptor Antonio Abondio in sandstone and installed onto the façade. The building once housed collections of antiquities and casts of famous sculptures, as well as Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus (which is now housed at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana). The building’s architecture is a clear reference to Michelangelo’s art, both in the sculptural detailing and in the original concept, mentioned by Vasari. The bas-relief at the centre of the upper frieze shows a satyr (embodying envy) in the jaws of two lions, who of course symbolize the artist (Leone means lion).